Nut-locking means.



PATENTED DEC. 29, 1903.

W. LAY. NUT LOOKING MEANS.

, UNITED STATES Patented December 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

NUT-LOCKING MEANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,984, dated December29, 1903.

I Application filed April 30, 1903. Serial No. 165,001. (No model.) 7

To wZZ whom; it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM LAY, a citizen of the United States,residingat Kremlin, in the county of Garfield and Territory of Oklahoma, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Nut-Locking Means, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention provides novel means for lockingnuts of bolts fromdisplacement due to the jar and vibration of the attaching parts towhich same are applied. The means are preferably used in connection withjoints-for the meeting ends of rails. However, it is contemplatedwithin. the broad spirit of the invention that they may be utilized uponmachinery and for other analogous purposes where, owing to vibrationofparts, liability to disjointure of same is imminent. Y

The structure embodied by the invention prevents the inevitable creepingof the rails due to the variation in temperature and other climaticchanges.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and alsoto acquire knowledge of the details of construction of the means fore'ifecting the result reference is to be had to the followingdescription and drawings hereto attached.

While the essential and characteristic features of the invention aresusceptible of modification, still the preferred embodiment of theinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a top plan view showing the relation of the parts in their preferableadaptation-namely, in connection with means for joining the ends ofrails. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cooperating base or fish-plate.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view about on a line X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 43 is adetail plan view of a lock-plate, showing relative disposition of theelastic washer member thereon. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the specialform of nut-locking means. 1

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views 'of the drawings by the samereference characters. p I

The invention is shown applied to joint means for connecting ends ofrails, the peculiar form of joint beingof the scarf type.

The peculiar form of joint above mentioned does not form a part of thepresent invention, which embodies the special construction the rail endsafter the usual manner, one of t these fish'plates being of the ordinaryconstruction, the other, however, being made of apeculiar form, so as tocooperate with means to be clearly set forth by which the nuts 5 areheld upon the bolts 6. It is usual in this construction of rail-jointsto provide for the expansion and contraction of the rails byelongatingthe transverse openings 7, this permitting certain degree ofmovement of the rails toward and from each other even when the bolts arefastened in position. This invention, however, provides difierent meansfor accomplishing the above, the said means residing more especially inthe construction of the fish-plates 3 and 4. These plates 3 and 4: areprovided with openings 8, which register with the openings of the railends andwhich receive the fastening-bolts 6. Two of the openings 8 arecircular in form, these being preferebly arranged near oneend of each ofthe fish-plates, and the other two, oppositely disposed, are elongated,so as to permit of the expansion and contraction of the railshereinbefore mentioned. The fish-plates are held rigidly with relationto the endof one of the rails; but owing to the form of the elongatedopenings at the opposite end portions thereof the end of a rail adjacentto the aforementioned is permitted to have a certain degree oflongitudinal movement. The maximum andminimuml'engths of these elongatedopenings being ascertained, the same are of a size sufficient to givenecessary, room when all the rails of the track are in their normal andproper place. By this means the rails of the track are adapted to adjustthemselves, and the tendency to creep downgrade is remedied. This closesthe joints and stops further movement of the rails at the bottom ofgrades, and consequently the force of expansion leaves the rails intheir normal and proper location. This advantage is important in jointsof this character.

The nut-locking means consists in detail of lugs 9, which are projectedat intervals from one side of the fish-plate 4. These lugs are arrangedin pairs, and the pairs of lugs 9 which cooperate with the bolts 6,passing through the circular openings in the end portions of thefish-plates, are preferably integral with the fish -plates 4. The lugsare notched, as shown at 10, intermediate either side, and these notchesreceive elastic washer members 11. The washer member 11 consists of aspring-plate,which is provided with a central opening, and in order notto weaken the plate the same may be slightly enlarged at the centralpoint. The opening 12 of washer member is adapted to receive one end ofa bolt 6. Upon application of the nuts 5 in securing the plates inposition the same are screwed upon the side plates in the usual mannerand coming into contact with the Washer members 11 they cause the saidmembers to spring inward to a degree depending upon the movement of thesaid nuts toward the fish-plate. The nuts are thus automatically lockedby the washer members and are prevented from displacement by thefriction contact therewith. For obvious reasons it is preferred the baseportions of the nuts 5 be made of convex form by milling, filing, orforging same in the well.- known manner. This gives a greater frictionalcontact-surface. To allow for the contraction and expansion of therails, the lugs 9, which are adapted to cooperate with the nuts 6,adjacent to the movable rail ends, are projected from lock-plates .13.These lockplates are prevented from vertical play by the provision oflugs 14, which extend from the under sides thereof into a longitudinalgroove 15, which is disposed upon one end portion of the fish-plate 4,as shown most clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The groove 15 isparallel with the edges of the fish-plate, as will be clearly seen, andmerges into the elongated openings upon the fish-plate, as will bereadily noted. The said groove allows for a certain amount oflongitudinal movement of the lock-plate 13. It will be understood thatthe inventor is not necessarily restricted to the exact means forlocking the lock-plates 13 from movement, but may adopt any suitablemeans consistent with the scope of the invention.

The operation of applying nuts to the bolts and the manner of lockingthem will be easily apparent to those skilled in this art in view of theforegoing description and need not be described.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. Inmeans for locking nuts, the combination with a base-plate, a boltextending therethrough, lugs extending laterally from said plate, anelastic washer member cooperating with the aforesaid extended lugs, anda nut adapted to be screwed upon the bolt cooperating with the saidspring washer member.

2. In means for locking nuts and bolts, the same comprising a base-platehaving lugs projected therefrom, and provided with openings disposedthereon to receive bolts, said openings being disposed between the lugs,a spring washer member having its end portions disposed upon thelugs,and a nut adapted to bear against the portion of the spring washermember disposed between the lugs.

3. In means for locking nuts the combination of a base-plate providedwith openings thereon, lugs disposed upon opposite sides of theopenings, bolts received by the openings, and a spring washer memberprovided with an opening to receive the bolt and having its end portionsin engagement with the lugs, and a nut adapted to bear against forfrictional engagement with the portion of the spring washer memberdisposed between the lugs.

4. In means for locking nuts to bolts, the combination with thebase-plate provided with lugs projected therefrom, openings disposedbetween the said lugs and adapted to receive bolts, said lugs beingprovided with notches upon the end portions thereof, a spring washermember provided with the central opening to receive the bolt nd havingits end portions resting in the notphes of the lugs and a not adapted tobe screwed upon the bolt for frictional engagement and 0065p erationwith the central portion of the washer member.

5. In means for locking nuts and bolts, the combination with adjacentparts, of a baseplate connecting said parts, lugs projected from the endportion of the said base-plate, a spring washer-plate for cooperationwith the aforesaid lugs and adjacent parts of the baseplate, thewasher-plate being provided with openings to receive the bolts,lock-plates disposed upon the opposite end portion of the base-plate forlongitudinal movement thereon and provided with openings therein, lugsprojected from the lock-plates, spring washer members cooperating withthe aforesaid lugs and provided with openings corresponding to theopenings of the lock-plate, the portions of the connected parts adjacentthe lock-plates being provided with elongated openings, bolts passingthrough the openings aforesaid, and nuts adapted to be screwed upon theends of the bolts for frictional engagement with the spring washermembers aforesaid.

6. In means for locking nuts, the combination with adjacent partsprovided with a plurality of openings, of a base-plate provided withcorresponding openings, lugs projected from one end portion of thebase-plate, lockplates disposed for longitudinal movement upon theopposite end portion of the baseand cooperation with the spring washermemplate, lugs projected from the aforesaid lockbers. IO plates, springwasher members for coopera- In testimonywhereof I aflix my signaturetion with the lugs upon the base-plate and in presence of two witnesses.

5 upon the lock-plates and provided with open- WILLIAM LAY. [L. 8.]

ings, bolts passed through theopenings in Witnesses: the partsaforesaid, and nuts adapted to be T. M. BOYD,

screwed upon the bolts for frictional contact J. S. GIFFORD.

